Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck (12) drops back for a pass during the first half against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium on Oct. 20, 2013. / Matt Detrich / The Star @MDetrich

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The reason it’s not as dopey as my usual Monday offering is that it comes from someone who has spent a lifetime coaching in the NFL and at the college level, namely Rick Venturi, the four-year Colts assistant and interim coach who now does radio commentary in Indianapolis and St. Louis. Unlike your humble scribe, Venturi actually breaks down the film and knows exactly what’s going on.

The grades are Venturi’s.

The observations are Venturi’s.

Read and learn:

RUNNING BACKS

GRADE: C-plus

“(Trent) Richardson is still learning a new system, but he’s nothing special. I will admit there’s not a ton of running room because he runs the power with three tight ends in the game. There’s not a lot of daylight as opposed to Donald Brown (running out of spread formations). Richardson is solid; he does all things reasonably well, he picks up the blitz well. Solid, but not better than that. If he was Adrian Peterson or Eric Dickerson, he wouldn’t be there. (Cleveland General Manager Mike) Lombardi isn’t stupid. But what you see is what you get. And this still needs to be a quarterback-centric team. Brown is the perfect change-up. He speeds up the game. When he comes in, it’s usually in wide formations, usually against nickel. He’s still a liability in pass protection. But a perfect change-up. Neither guy is a classic third-down back like a Darren Sproles, but both can be useful in the screen game.”

OFFENSIVE LINE

GRADE: C

“So many times Andrew Luck makes it look good. There’s leakage most of the time. The tackles have been solid most of the time. They’ve held up. The interior, there’s leakage all season long. They battle, but (Hugh) Thornton’s warts are coming out in pass protection. (Mike) McGlynn is a tough kid, but he has his issues. Same with (Samson) Satele. It’s not a real talented group. The O-line is adequate at best and that’s where the quarterback has made all the difference because he can make the awkward throw and he can get out on the edge. I compare Luck to Aaron Rodgers. Seriously, there’s nobody better at this stage of his career than Luck, not Peyton, not any of them.”

(Page 2 of 4)

RECEIVERS

GRADE: B-

“I would have given the receivers a B or a B-plus when Reggie (Wayne) was there. Thought Reggie was having an ‘A’ year. (T.Y.) Hilton is an emerging star. He’ll be more of a classic slot receiver. The biggest issue is whether he can catch the ball in tighter windows now. Plus now, he’s going to be doubled. When you go beyond that, (Darrius) Heyward-Bey is a role player. He does stretch the defense vertically. Not a guy who keeps you up at nights as a defensive coordinator. Not an Ambien guy; that’s my term. Then it really drops off. Now the problem is when you move everybody up a notch. I don’t see (Griff) Whalen as a (Wes) Welker or (Danny) Amendola. He’s not a quick-twitch guy. … I think they should be playing (LaVon) Brazill more. He can get vertical and he’s got creativity. Losing Reggie is really problematic. Now they need (Coby) Fleener to step up and play like a second-round draft pick. He needs to be a poor-man’s Jimmy Graham. And they’ve got to involve the running backs in the passing game.”

QUARTERBACK

GRADE: A

“I praise (Luck) pretty lavishly. I think he’s the best quarterback at this point in his career I’ve seen in 30 years of coaching. I already have him in the top five in the league. He’s magnificent. Skill set’s off the charts, throwing, extending plays. His leadership is special. Terrifically smart guy who has a commonality to him. Nothing is contrived. I call him an elevator; he elevates everybody around him. He has the ‘it’ factor. The guys around him won’t let him down. Praise is lavish, and I’m usually a cynic, but he’s really special.”

DEFENSIVE LINE

GRADE: C

“They play hard, they anchor the defense but there’s not a playmaker there. All solid within the scheme. They hold the gap. Very few plays, almost zero pass rush, but they have their moments. Vulnerabilities against the run. I cringe when the backup guys come in there; I think they’re sub-par. It’s an average group that plays really hard, they bring the lunch pail, but you’re not going to win because of them. Now (Cory) Redding, when they’re in nickel and he gets inside, he can make some plays. But generally, an average group that plays hard. A functional group that fits the scheme, but no Ambien guys.’’

(Page 3 of 4)

LINEBACKERS

GRADE: B-plus

Robert Mathis is having an elite season. He’s really benefited from becoming the rush (linebacker). They open up a lot of space for him. Just a terrific rush guy, and he’s benefited from the choke-off coverage in the secondary. He’s an Ambien player. (Erik) Walden has played well. I know a lot of people bitched about the contract he got, but I liked him at Green Bay. He’s a perfect scheme guy. Combination drop-rush (linebacker). A solid hybrid. He’s made some critical plays this season. He’s shown up. (Jerrell) Freeman is the biggest playmaker next to Mathis. He’s an emerging star. (Pat) Angerer is really tough between the tackles. Get him out in space like against a (San Diego running back) Danny Woodhead, he’s got no chance. Really like the linebacking corps.”

SECONDARY

GRADE: A-minus

“I’ll count the Houston game as an outlier because Greg Toler didn’t play. (The secondary has) had a tremendous impact on this season. This team has become a good defensive unit from back to front. They have the ability to get up and press people. Toler, (Vontae) Davis and (Darius) Butler have had really good seasons. What they did against Denver was remarkable. Their safeties (Antoine Bethea and LaRon Landy), not always great in pass coverage, but they’re trained killers when it comes to the run. Both physical impact tacklers. They’ll absolutely hammer you. When you have corners who are playing well, it allows the safeties to hammer that box.”

SPECIAL TEAMS

GRADE: B

“Probably the area I study the least. But the kicker and punter are money. The one troubling issue is there’s far too much pressure on both of them. They’ve had kick and punt blocks. That’ll lose you a game if you’re not careful. I like the fact they’re still going to use Hilton on punt returns; you’ve got to let him touch the ball as often as possible. And I like David Reed, on the rare occasions he gets to return a kickoff. He’s got a recklessness about him. And the kick and punt coverage have been very good.”

(Page 4 of 4)

COACHING

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR PEP HAMILTON

GRADE: B

“Now, I don’t think he started out a ‘B.’ He started out trying to bring that Stanford power running game here and found out pretty quickly that’s probably not where you want to go. Those multiple tight-end formations tend to attract sharks in there. That works at Stanford but it doesn’t work here. They were getting slaughtered, especially in third-and-short. But I give him credit the way he’s evolved. Good game-specific game plans. And I thought he did a good job in the Houston game, finding creative ways to get Hilton the ball. But he’s really going to be challenged now without Reggie.”

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR GREG MANUSKY

GRADE: B

“He’s maxed out what he has. The transition he’s made is he’s been willing to play that press coverage. They’ve maximized Mathis. Probably have to blitz more down the line. I’ve been in that situation where you’re down 24-6, you panic and start bringing the house, and suddenly it’s 40-6. I thought he did a great job backing off a little bit and massaging things. He’s maxed that group out. To be honest, I think this whole team has maxed out. The whole is greater than the individual parts. This is not a 12-win roster in my view.”

HEAD COACH CHUCK PAGANO

GRADE: B-plus

“He’s the most resilient guy I’ve ever seen. And he’s instilled that in his team. The team reflects the head coach in terms of the way it plays and its resiliency, its ability to finish games like Houston. He really gets guys to buy in. There are some things you can argue, when to go for two, going for it on fourth-and-short around the opponent’s 45, but they play hard for him. Again, he’s maxing them out.”